The new 9-5, More Tempting Than Ever.

As some of you may know, friend and fellow Saab enthusiast, Graeme Lambert, took delivery of a Saab 9-5 TTiD Aero as a long term test back in April of this year. Graeme is a journalist for the British Car Weekly Auto Express. He has just sent us his latest artical about life with the stunning 9-5 Aero which can also be seen in full online.

Latest deal price: from £23,487 to £35,707

Don’t worry, I’m not trying to sell our long-term 9-5. But if that was my plan, Saab has just made the job a whole lot easier. Although the firm is in short-term financial trouble at the moment, UK bosses’ latest move ensures the executive car is more attractive than ever.

After glancing through a list of the improvements, I did a quick reappraisal of our model, as anyone ordering a new 9-5 now will benefit from a host of extra kit as standard. When our 9-5 Aero 2.0 TTiD arrived earlier in the year, essentials such as sat-nav (£1,230), a DAB radio (£310) and DriveSense adaptive chassis (£975) all commanded a premium. But not any more.

These desirable extras have been added to the standard kit list on the latest models, and prices are slashed, too. As a result, the on-the-road price of our 9-5 has effectively dropped from £37,023 to £33,328. That’s a staggering £3,695 reduction.

And our example’s total still includes add-ons like metallic paint (£540), adaptive lights (£410), the Convenience Pack Plus (£515), privacy glass (£310) and detachable towbar (£558). So the new Saab is better value than ever – but how is our model coping with life on the Auto Express fleet? Well, since our last report (Issue 1,169), we’ve added 3,688 miles and overall economy has dropped back to 38.5mpg –still pretty good for a vehicle measuring five metres long.

The 9-5 still splits opinion in the office, though. Many critics complain about the lack of true Saab heritage in its design and construction, while the gruff nature of its 2.0-litre TTiD diesel has also marked the car down.

It’s hard to argue with either criticism, and even Saab’s engineers aren’t 100 per cent happy with the installation and performance of the twin-turbo unit. A revised dashboard finish, in addition to the more competitive price, should help to appease buyers in new car showrooms, though. And either way, I still enjoy spending time behind the wheel; superb mile-munching ability and motorway comfort make the Saab a fine cruiser on long trips.

Another positive is the car’s rarity value – the distinctive design makes it one of the most striking members of our fleet, in my eyes. Trouble is, this exclusivity is one of the biggest headaches for bosses; they’d love to see more on the road. Add it to the uncertainty over Saab’s future, and used values have been hit hard – if we traded ours in for a younger model, we could expect to get less than £20,000 back in part-exchange.

Yet my enthusiasm for the brand remains undimmed. If Saab can overcome its current cashflow problems, the latest changes to the 9-5 line-up and the imminent arrival of the practical Sportwagon estate version provide plenty of hope for the future. For an alternative review of the latest Saab 9-5 visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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I was actually test-driving a new 9-5 – in the most basic-version – yesterday. I was very impressed. Especially by the suspension. Very comfortable, but still eating the corners very sharply like a much smaller car. Also the small 1.6l engine impressed me. Off course there were not much punch in 5th and 6th gear, but by using the gears a lot – which was very pleasant – one could have a lot of good and fun driving and fine acceleration through curves or passing other vehicles. And I have to say the interior-quality was at a very high level.… Read more »

Sitting inside I also was impressed by the quality of workmanship of the 9-5. And the car is an eye catcher. In Auto Express they put an advertisement of the new Merc E-Class next to the Saab. IMHO the design of the Merc looks somehow outdated and ponderous. The 9-5 looks more “lightfooted” and sporty.

I love mine! I purchased a 2.8T Aero XWD last October. My only complaints (genuine complaints) are that I which the engine would match the rev’s with the downshifts in auto mode and my car a very few more rattles than I’d like.

The cars looks great at night – especially at dusk when I run only the blue pip-lighting with the fog lamps!

I was lucky enough recently to have a gorgeous TTiD4 Aero for a couple of days, when my new 9-3 had to revisit the dealers – I loved it. The interior was beautifully put together, the excellent sat nav was easy to use, the new dials looked stunning at night, and it had a fantastic panoramic sunroof.

Colour combination of white with a matt black roof really suited the 9-5’s shape, and I managed to take a few pictures whilst I had it : http://bit.ly/ox5rLm

If anyone gets an opportunity to test drive one for a few hours, grab it 🙂

Unfortunately price dumping & free upgrades are a last resort method to sell cars, and are extremely rare in a case of new model such as Saab 9-5. Normally you see this happening with the models which have entered to their finals years of production (e.g. the 9-3 Griffin editions, or Volvo’s “Classic” models).

If the Saab survives Saab UK has it’s hands full of work trying to convince people pay again the “original” price of the car. Remember – higher margins per car (and fewer costly incentives) were one of the key elements of Saab’s business plan.

Totally agree Moose. However, this price adjustment and equipment upgrade was announced for the 2012 MY cars some time ago, certainly before the brand was in the trouble it is in now. In fact a Saab product manager here in the UK told me around one year ago (at Erik Carlsson’s celebration of 50th anniversary win of RAC rally) about the proposed changes. Think the UK arm realised that a car trying to compete in this sector needed to have things like sat-nav fitted as standard. There’s no doubt that Saab GB have been quick to move on decisions in… Read more »

Moose, I complete agree in the case of rebates/discounts e.g. original msrp is 50,000 with a 10,000 rebate however if you bring the msrp down closer to the transactional position, the strategy is spot-on. It’s easier to slowly build your value over time (after we get out of our financial situation and build brand stability) and is better for the health of the brand’s image (better resale value percentage). Right now the market is setting the price of the 2011 9-5. Saab, unfortunately, is not. Saab is either going to give rebates to move their cars or bring the price… Read more »

What’s concerning to me is that Saab has completely botched the launch of two brand new vehicles in their NA line-up; the NG 9-5 and 9-4X. If you look the car sales during a products life-cycle, the majority of sales come right after the launch and generally during the first two years of the model. This just kills me…so sad!

Does anyone know where to find a full pricelist for MY12 for the Swedish market?

And Eleven, gorgeous pics! The first one, of the front, and the detail shot of the badge… is it possible to get hi-res versions? They would do wonders to my computer-desktop 🙂 And what’s up with that awesome roof? Is it a custom job?

Peter, there is no 9-5 Sedan MY 12 out, but there is a preliminary 9-5 SC price list. I think the Sedan will the same standard equipment without the SC specific bits. The 9-5 SC will start at 295.000 SEK and the 9-5 Sedan at 289.900 SEK. (info from the Saab press release, April 4th)

Hi Peter. I could either upload hi res versions to the SU gallery, or you could send me your email via the blog. It would be a pleasure.

I’m sure the roof was factory specified, it looks absolutely stunning. I can’t believe it’s still waiting for someone to buy it, shame I can’t have the 9-5 as well as my new 9-3. I think i’d have a divorce on my hands if I even suggested it to my wife 🙂

I took my 9-3 in for service a couple of days ago and my Saab dealer had four 9-5’s on the showroom floor. I inspected all of them. My favorite was an Aero XWD. I have to say that I am ambivalent about the car. The fit and finish appears to be well done and the car is certainly well appointed but I have some serious issues with the design details. The main problems for me where a beltline that is too high, no storage openings in the center console (I use these all the time in my 9-3) and… Read more »

no storage openings in the center console (I use these all the time in my 9-3) BlackAero: I think you are referring to the opening under the climate control. While the 9-5 does not have that opening, it does have an enormous amount of storage space throughout the cockpit. The combination of pushbutton start/stop, electonic e-brake allow for a lot more room. Another area where most people don’t know exists is to the left of the steering column (above your left knee) sits a very nice, deep storage box. The door sits flush when closed so it’s not visible from… Read more »

The points you make are informed and well considered. I need to look at the car again with your comments in mind. And I have to admit that some of the new “gadgets” being introduced in the new models may just well take some getting used to. I can understand how some of them may actually be more convenient. However, I would maintain that I can open a car door more quickly with a key in the door lock than with keyless entry.

Blackaero, I don’t get your point on the key. How I open my 9-5 Aero: I walk up to the car, put my hand on the doorhandle and pull, and the door unlocks automaticaly as long as I have the key with me (in my pocket, coat, bag or whatever). I get in and push the start button. No key involved (at least not in my hand). I don’t see how having to put a key in the doorlock can be more convenient?

Saabdealer: We’ve been a Saab family for a long time. I’m in an stick 04 9-3 sedan and my bride drives an 09 9-5. We bought the 09 9-5 in 2010 … a dealer loaner with about 6K miles on it after her 02 9-5 got to 180K. The deal was terrific given the market and circumstances at the time, but we took a close look at the new 9-5, and I’ve driven it as a loaner several times. At launch in the states, all that were available were Aeros w/out sunroofs and lots of bells and whistles, so the… Read more »

I have a 2010 95 Aero that I just got back from the body shop. [hit by a large chunk of flying truck tire.] This is a great car that is a true mile-eater. I really have to watch out as it is easy to be going at a VERY illegal speed here in the states. I need to go on a long road trip! A wonderful machine, and I am glad I went ahead and bought it.

I love my 2010 9-5 Aero. It’s one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. It handles like a dream and performance is excellent. The techonology features of the car are outstanding. The ride is so smotth and quiet and I hardly hear any road noise at all. I wish that Saab’s current situation would be better so that I could recommend Saab to my friends and neighbors but I can’t right now. There is simply too much uncertainty over the brand. I’m worried about losing my warranty and free maintenance if Saab goes under. Perhaps, if Saab comes out… Read more »

Price reduction worked for me. In U.S. dollars, I picked up 2011 Saab 9-5 Aero XWD with and MSRP of $53,315 for $35,800 including all taxes. At that price, there is no BMW or Benz that can touch this car!!

Here’s an idea. Lets all start demanding European importers to buy as many 9-5 Aero’s with Vector seats -after THN start coughing up Saabs again. Then when they hit the lots we won’t buy them unless there’s a 25-30% discount, because the cars don’t have Aero seats… Great business plan SCNA.

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